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{
    "id": 660726,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/660726/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 252,
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, forestry is one of the key natural resource sectors that are critical for the development of our country. It is in this connection that the Fifth Chapter of our Constitution broadly talks about natural resources. The chapter concentrates significantly on management of natural resources. This Bill amplifies on the particular provisions of the Constitution, in particular Article 69, that calls on the State to put in place measures to make sure that natural resources, including forest resources, are managed and conserved for present and future generations of this country. The issue of environmental protection and conservation is a requirement, not just of our Constitution, but also of international laws which, as Senators are aware, are now part of the laws of Kenya. We have signed so many agreements, including the agreements sponsored by the United Nations (UN) agencies as well as the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Kenya is a party to many international treaties - I have already mentioned one. The other one is the Convention on Biological Diversity (1992), which takes care of the world’s flora and fauna including forest resources. As hon. Senators may know, forest resources are part of the biological diversity of our country. How we protect our biological diversity, the flora and fauna of a country, informs how we mitigate some of the environmental challenges that our country is going through. Notably, challenges like global warming have been associated with degradation of forests and unsustainable use and utilization of forest resource. Briefly put, forests become important because they act as natural sinks for carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. Through the natural processes of photosynthesis, forests require carbon dioxide and in return, they emit oxygen which is useful. Therefore, forests and plants support life as a source of oxygen which is a by-product of photosynthesis and by absorbing excess carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that are emitted by mechanization, agriculture, industrial and human activities. Madam Temporary Speaker, the importance of forestry in our country cannot be overemphasized. It is in that connection that it has been recommended internationally that every country must have at least 10 per cent of its cover under forest cover. There has been debate in this county over how much of our country is under forestry but even as the figures vary, it is clear that we are short of ten per cent of our territory. Some of the countries that have done so well in the protection of forests have up to 60 per cent of forest cover. Countries like Costa Rica, Finland and other countries in Asia have done very well. This Bill is trying to help us solve a big problem. We have eaten into our forests. The 1980s and 1990s saw our country degazzette so many forests through agricultural activities and theft of public land which hitherto was covered by forest. That is responsible for some of the problems that we are experiencing today including desertification, unreliable rainfall patterns, global warming and climate change which has devastating effects on human life in each and every sector that one can imagine of. Madam Temporary Speaker, this Bill is consistent with the international principles of sustainable development as well as intergenerational equity which require among other things that what present generation must do in utilizing natural resources including forests must not deprive future generations of a clean and healthy environment. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}